Clément Canonne
@ccanonne.github.io
Senior Lecturer #USydCompSci at the University of Sydney. Postdocs IBM Research and Stanford; PhD at Columbia. Converts ☕ into puns: sometimes theorems. He/him.
Pinned
Clément Canonne
@ccanonne.github.io
· Nov 15
Reminder/plug: my graduate-level monograph on "Topics and Techniques in Distribution Testing" (FnT Comm. and Inf Theory, 2022).
📖 ccanonne.github.io/survey-topic... [Latest draft+exercise solns, free]
📗 nowpublishers.com/article/Deta... [Official pub]
📝 github.com/ccanonne/sur... [LaTeX source]
📖 ccanonne.github.io/survey-topic... [Latest draft+exercise solns, free]
📗 nowpublishers.com/article/Deta... [Official pub]
📝 github.com/ccanonne/sur... [LaTeX source]
The potato adventure has concluded. Out of one potato*, four** have appeared!
*Medium
**Small
*Medium
**Small
November 30, 2025 at 12:31 AM
The potato adventure has concluded. Out of one potato*, four** have appeared!
*Medium
**Small
*Medium
**Small
Reposted by Clément Canonne
Exactly two weeks until #FOCS2025! The schedule is up, the sun is high, the workshops primed. Social activities: to be announced in the coming week.
See you in a fortnight!
See you in a fortnight!
bart simpson is looking at a globe while talking on a phone
Alt: Bart Simpson is looking at a globe while talking on a phone, making it spin until it stops, with Bart's finger on Australia
media.tenor.com
November 29, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Exactly two weeks until #FOCS2025! The schedule is up, the sun is high, the workshops primed. Social activities: to be announced in the coming week.
See you in a fortnight!
See you in a fortnight!
Oh, I'm sorry, you didn't want ads on that cassette I gave you? Well, consider subscribing to Mixtape Premium™
November 29, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Oh, I'm sorry, you didn't want ads on that cassette I gave you? Well, consider subscribing to Mixtape Premium™
Australia, please explain
November 29, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Australia, please explain
Something worrying me: many seem to change their research direction out of FOMO, reacting to (the obvious) recent trend: "If I don't do this, someone else will do it!"
One of the key perks we have in academia is the freedom to set our own agenda.* If someone else can—and WILL—do it, why would you?
One of the key perks we have in academia is the freedom to set our own agenda.* If someone else can—and WILL—do it, why would you?
November 29, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Something worrying me: many seem to change their research direction out of FOMO, reacting to (the obvious) recent trend: "If I don't do this, someone else will do it!"
One of the key perks we have in academia is the freedom to set our own agenda.* If someone else can—and WILL—do it, why would you?
One of the key perks we have in academia is the freedom to set our own agenda.* If someone else can—and WILL—do it, why would you?
The deadline is in <4 days! Dec 1, Sydney time. Computer Science (including Theory) people on the academic job market, do apply!
usyd.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/USYD_E...
usyd.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/USYD_E...
November 27, 2025 at 7:39 PM
The deadline is in <4 days! Dec 1, Sydney time. Computer Science (including Theory) people on the academic job market, do apply!
usyd.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/USYD_E...
usyd.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/USYD_E...
Reposted by Clément Canonne
Dean's Lecture Series — Prof Shafi Goldwasser | Wednesday 10 December 2025
📍Eastern Avenue Auditorium (F19)
Camperdown NSW 2006
maps.app.goo.gl/M3zMEGwWRC5o...
📋 Register (by Dec 5): signup.e2ma.net/signup/20429...
📍Eastern Avenue Auditorium (F19)
Camperdown NSW 2006
maps.app.goo.gl/M3zMEGwWRC5o...
📋 Register (by Dec 5): signup.e2ma.net/signup/20429...
November 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Dean's Lecture Series — Prof Shafi Goldwasser | Wednesday 10 December 2025
📍Eastern Avenue Auditorium (F19)
Camperdown NSW 2006
maps.app.goo.gl/M3zMEGwWRC5o...
📋 Register (by Dec 5): signup.e2ma.net/signup/20429...
📍Eastern Avenue Auditorium (F19)
Camperdown NSW 2006
maps.app.goo.gl/M3zMEGwWRC5o...
📋 Register (by Dec 5): signup.e2ma.net/signup/20429...
This new magazine by the @simonsinstitute.bsky.social looks really cool! And great name, too. It was the best of times. Also the worst-case of times.
View online: simons.berkeley.edu/media/28058/...
View online: simons.berkeley.edu/media/28058/...
November 25, 2025 at 11:46 PM
This new magazine by the @simonsinstitute.bsky.social looks really cool! And great name, too. It was the best of times. Also the worst-case of times.
View online: simons.berkeley.edu/media/28058/...
View online: simons.berkeley.edu/media/28058/...
Reposted by Clément Canonne
📢 Our last TCS+ talk of the season will be Wed, Dec 3 (10am PT, 1pm ET, 19:00 CET): Natalie Collina (@ncollina.bsky.social), from UPenn, will tell us about "Swap regret and correlated equilibria beyond normal-form games"!
RSVP to receive the link (one day before the talk): forms.gle/utLgSxLpqvpx...
RSVP to receive the link (one day before the talk): forms.gle/utLgSxLpqvpx...
TCS+ RSVP: Natalie Collina (2025/12/03)
Title: Swap regret and correlated equilibria beyond normal-form games
forms.gle
November 25, 2025 at 7:43 PM
📢 Our last TCS+ talk of the season will be Wed, Dec 3 (10am PT, 1pm ET, 19:00 CET): Natalie Collina (@ncollina.bsky.social), from UPenn, will tell us about "Swap regret and correlated equilibria beyond normal-form games"!
RSVP to receive the link (one day before the talk): forms.gle/utLgSxLpqvpx...
RSVP to receive the link (one day before the talk): forms.gle/utLgSxLpqvpx...
Reposted by Clément Canonne
🎉 Huge congratulations to our academics Liyi Zhou, Xiang Zhang, and Yu Yao, who were awarded a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) by the Australian Research Council!
We look forward to the amazing research this will enable them to conduct at #USyd! rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/D...
We look forward to the amazing research this will enable them to conduct at #USyd! rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/D...
Research Management System - Funded Projects - Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2026 round 1
RMS is the ARC's Research Management System, a web-based system used by eligible researchers to prepare and submit research proposals and assessments under the ARC National Competitive Grants Program ...
rms.arc.gov.au
November 25, 2025 at 7:58 PM
🎉 Huge congratulations to our academics Liyi Zhou, Xiang Zhang, and Yu Yao, who were awarded a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) by the Australian Research Council!
We look forward to the amazing research this will enable them to conduct at #USyd! rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/D...
We look forward to the amazing research this will enable them to conduct at #USyd! rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/D...
Reposted by Clément Canonne
Wow! Yuansi Chen resolves 1 of the 2 remaining $1000 Talagrand problems (michel.talagrand.net/prizes/prize... ):
If you take any f : {-1,+1}ⁿ → ℝ⁺ and apply the noise operator T_{.99}, the resulting function g = T_{.99} f satisfies a better-than-Markov inequality. That is, Pr[g > t E[g]] < o(1/t).
If you take any f : {-1,+1}ⁿ → ℝ⁺ and apply the noise operator T_{.99}, the resulting function g = T_{.99} f satisfies a better-than-Markov inequality. That is, Pr[g > t E[g]] < o(1/t).
November 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Wow! Yuansi Chen resolves 1 of the 2 remaining $1000 Talagrand problems (michel.talagrand.net/prizes/prize... ):
If you take any f : {-1,+1}ⁿ → ℝ⁺ and apply the noise operator T_{.99}, the resulting function g = T_{.99} f satisfies a better-than-Markov inequality. That is, Pr[g > t E[g]] < o(1/t).
If you take any f : {-1,+1}ⁿ → ℝ⁺ and apply the noise operator T_{.99}, the resulting function g = T_{.99} f satisfies a better-than-Markov inequality. That is, Pr[g > t E[g]] < o(1/t).
Reposted by Clément Canonne
(As it turns out, the Torment Nexus had already been considerably improved in [Schmidhuber, 1993])
November 24, 2025 at 8:40 AM
(As it turns out, the Torment Nexus had already been considerably improved in [Schmidhuber, 1993])
Reposted by Clément Canonne
ARC says they’ll announce DECRA and LIEF outcomes tomorrow (Tuesday 25th Nov).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
November 23, 2025 at 11:40 PM
ARC says they’ll announce DECRA and LIEF outcomes tomorrow (Tuesday 25th Nov).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale.
[....]
Academic: Our project, if funded by the government, will considerably improve the efficiency of the existing Torment Nexus,
[....]
Academic: Our project, if funded by the government, will considerably improve the efficiency of the existing Torment Nexus,
November 24, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale.
[....]
Academic: Our project, if funded by the government, will considerably improve the efficiency of the existing Torment Nexus,
[....]
Academic: Our project, if funded by the government, will considerably improve the efficiency of the existing Torment Nexus,
Reposted by Clément Canonne
My attitude towards reviews comes from my favorite Borges story, The Lottery in Babylon. "Like all men of babylon, I have been proconsul; like all, I have been a slave."
web.itu.edu.tr
November 23, 2025 at 11:58 PM
My attitude towards reviews comes from my favorite Borges story, The Lottery in Babylon. "Like all men of babylon, I have been proconsul; like all, I have been a slave."
Reposted by Clément Canonne
ICMY: this December, the School of Computer Science at #USyd will host an absolutely incredible line-up of speakers, jointly with the SMRI (@sydmathinst.bsky.social) and the Faculty of Engineering!
🗓️ Mon 1: Bob Tarjan
🗓️ Tue 2: Moti Yung
🗓️ Wed 10: Shafi Goldwasser
Details and how to attend below! ↴
🗓️ Mon 1: Bob Tarjan
🗓️ Tue 2: Moti Yung
🗓️ Wed 10: Shafi Goldwasser
Details and how to attend below! ↴
November 23, 2025 at 9:33 PM
ICMY: this December, the School of Computer Science at #USyd will host an absolutely incredible line-up of speakers, jointly with the SMRI (@sydmathinst.bsky.social) and the Faculty of Engineering!
🗓️ Mon 1: Bob Tarjan
🗓️ Tue 2: Moti Yung
🗓️ Wed 10: Shafi Goldwasser
Details and how to attend below! ↴
🗓️ Mon 1: Bob Tarjan
🗓️ Tue 2: Moti Yung
🗓️ Wed 10: Shafi Goldwasser
Details and how to attend below! ↴
What do you know about data compression?
- Oh, little bits.
- Oh, little bits.
November 23, 2025 at 8:43 PM
What do you know about data compression?
- Oh, little bits.
- Oh, little bits.
Reposted by Clément Canonne
Sydney says hi — see you in 3 weeks!
November 23, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Sydney says hi — see you in 3 weeks!
Honestly if I was Art Garfunkel I would design a new quantum algorithm, just to get even.
November 22, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Honestly if I was Art Garfunkel I would design a new quantum algorithm, just to get even.
Reposted by Clément Canonne
Please sign to tell the @albomp.bsky.social government it's not enough to "believe" in science for it to exist. Australia needs scientists if it wants to be ready for the future—not nice-sounding empty words.
📋 actionnetwork.org/petitions/cs...
📋 www.davidpocock.com.au/save_our_csiro
📋 actionnetwork.org/petitions/cs...
📋 www.davidpocock.com.au/save_our_csiro
CSIRO needs urgent support
CSIRO is under attack. Sign the petition calling on the Albanese Government to act now to secure the future of CSIRO’s world-leading science and research.
actionnetwork.org
November 21, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Please sign to tell the @albomp.bsky.social government it's not enough to "believe" in science for it to exist. Australia needs scientists if it wants to be ready for the future—not nice-sounding empty words.
📋 actionnetwork.org/petitions/cs...
📋 www.davidpocock.com.au/save_our_csiro
📋 actionnetwork.org/petitions/cs...
📋 www.davidpocock.com.au/save_our_csiro
TIL why we use the word "oracle" in theoretical CS for blackbox abstractions. Because of some joke from the seventies!
We were absurd before it was cool.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interne... #TCSSky
We were absurd before it was cool.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interne... #TCSSky
Internet Oracle - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 22, 2025 at 7:10 AM
TIL why we use the word "oracle" in theoretical CS for blackbox abstractions. Because of some joke from the seventies!
We were absurd before it was cool.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interne... #TCSSky
We were absurd before it was cool.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interne... #TCSSky
Hiked 3 hours, ate a dosa in front of the Opera House, am now reading some lecture notes* while (pretending to be) watching cricket.
Saturday's good!
Saturday's good!
November 22, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Hiked 3 hours, ate a dosa in front of the Opera House, am now reading some lecture notes* while (pretending to be) watching cricket.
Saturday's good!
Saturday's good!
Reposted by Clément Canonne
'“It’s the most shortsighted lack of investment by a federal government since before the Abbott government. And they were stupid," [a former long-serving researcher at #CSIRO] said.'
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne..., article by @sbasfordcanales.bsky.social and @donnadlu.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne..., article by @sbasfordcanales.bsky.social and @donnadlu.bsky.social
November 21, 2025 at 8:01 PM
'“It’s the most shortsighted lack of investment by a federal government since before the Abbott government. And they were stupid," [a former long-serving researcher at #CSIRO] said.'
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne..., article by @sbasfordcanales.bsky.social and @donnadlu.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne..., article by @sbasfordcanales.bsky.social and @donnadlu.bsky.social
Reposted by Clément Canonne
If you are looking for a postdoc, there's a lot of great algorithms/theory research (and in all parts of CS) happening at NYU!
Come work with the best, as @gautamkamath.com says!
Courant CS: apply.interfolio.com/175537
CDS: apply.interfolio.com/174686
Come work with the best, as @gautamkamath.com says!
Courant CS: apply.interfolio.com/175537
CDS: apply.interfolio.com/174686
November 21, 2025 at 5:17 PM
If you are looking for a postdoc, there's a lot of great algorithms/theory research (and in all parts of CS) happening at NYU!
Come work with the best, as @gautamkamath.com says!
Courant CS: apply.interfolio.com/175537
CDS: apply.interfolio.com/174686
Come work with the best, as @gautamkamath.com says!
Courant CS: apply.interfolio.com/175537
CDS: apply.interfolio.com/174686
In case you aren't already aware of one of the nerdiest, nich-est online games: TeXnique, where the goal is to type LaTeX formulae as quickly as possible. texnique.xyz
It is "fun."
It is "fun."
November 21, 2025 at 9:14 PM
In case you aren't already aware of one of the nerdiest, nich-est online games: TeXnique, where the goal is to type LaTeX formulae as quickly as possible. texnique.xyz
It is "fun."
It is "fun."